Copyright Owners Beware: Ask Hotfile to take down copyrighted material and they’ll sue you
Hotfile, the popular file sharing website, is fighting back against Warner Bros. in a copyright infringement suit. Hotfile has brought counterclaims against Warner Bros. alleging abuse of its anti-pirating tool. In the counterclaim, Hotfile accuses Warner Bros. of sending take-down notices on material they didn’t even own. Although Warner Bros. concedes that it did so, it says that it was a mistake and no harm was suffered by Hotfile. Beyond the legal arguments, it interesting to see Hotfile take such a bold stance given the current climate for file sharing websites i.e. most have been cautious not to attract attention from the judicial system since the well-executed takedown of Megaupload.
